Top 5 – Directors Who Should Direct ‘The Batman’

It has been announced that Ben Affleck will not be directing the upcoming DCCU film, The Batman, which most would say is a relatively huge shock.  He is still slated to star as The Caped Crusader, though that may also be in question.  The DCCU is a disaster right now.  After 2016 brought them two critical bombs in Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, everyone thought that a Batman film directed by Ben Affleck, who has proven to be a great director, could really take them off the snide.  Guess not.  So with Affleck out of the director’s chair, who should take the helm for The Batman?  Here are my picks for the five directors who should direct The Batman.

5 – F. GARY GRAY 

Gray had been making his rounds for almost two decades now, making such films as Friday (1995), The Italian Job (2003), and Law Abiding Citizen (2009).  But, it was 2015’s Straight Outta Compton that really put the spotlight on him as a director.  There is a grittiness and unexpected cinematic presence in the film that elevated Straight Outta Compton to one of the best musical biopics I have ever seen.  Gray gets his first crack at a big budget summer blockbuster in Fate of the Furious and if he knocks it out of the park, they should give him some serious thought.

4 – DARREN ARONOFSKY 

Before Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky was slated to direct a Batman movie following the techno-colored skidmark that was Batman & Robin (1998).  At that point in his career, around the early 2000’s, Aronfsky was still relatively new, with two indie features under his belt.  Since then, Aronofsky has become an Oscar nominee with Black Swan (2010) and directed a big studio feature in Noah (2014).  Aronofsky would bring a gravitas, vision, authenticity, and darkness to The Batman that would remind fans of the Nolan trilogy.

3 – DAVID FINCHER 

The chance of this happening is slim to none, but a guy can hope, right?  Fincher is without a doubt one of the best directors we have today.  He is a master of tone, pacing, and technical mastery.  His films are meticulously crafted and he can easily keep with the dark tone of the DCCU.  And, Fincher and Affleck had great success with Gone Girl (2014), so seeing them pair again would be a nice, familiar site.  Fincher has worked with Warner Bros. a number of times and his in the director’s chair would truly elevate not only the DCCU, but the comic book genre as a whole.

2 – CARY FUKUNAGA 

The best comic book movies come from relatively new directors.  Christopher Nolan had only three movies under his belt until he made Batman Begins (2005), James Gunn became a fan favorite with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and Jon Favreau became one of the elite’s because of Iron Man (2008).  So why not try some fresh blood with a fresh vision?  If you don’t know Fukunaga, you’re missing out on a visionary.  His biggest success was his masterful work on HBO’s moody, twisted True Detective (2014).  He followed that up with the tough, unflinching Beasts of No Nation (2015), which earned critical praise.  Let’s see if the DCCU has the balls to give a new voice a shot.

1 – GEORGE MILLER

George Miller bursted back onto the cinematic scene in 2016 with Mad Max: Fury Road.  It was a visceral, kinetic, powerhouse film of pure adrenaline and genius.  How could he possibly follow that up?  Obviously directing The Batman seems like a great idea.  Miller was slated to direct Justice League: Mortal some years back before it got scraped and it is, what I would consider, one of the best movies never made.  Miller is obviously familiar with the characters and the story and, the thing that would make him the best choice, is his vision.  Nobody could have made a movie like Fury Road and he would make a Batman movie unlike anything we’ve ever seen.  He’s already resurrected one franchise, it is now time for Miller to resurrect an entire cinematic universe.

Who do you think are the directors who should direct The Batman?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.